


Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

by ProustPerfume



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Meeting The Family, Canon Compliant, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Family Drama, Fluff, Hinata Shouyou Has ADHD, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of kissing and cuteness from omihina they’re in love, M/M, Post timeskip (national team), Rich Boy Sakusa, open communication is the key to a healthy relationship y’all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProustPerfume/pseuds/ProustPerfume
Summary: Over the years, Hinata had gotten much better at managing his emotions.That being said, he felt like all those efforts were immediately thrown out the window when Sakusa Kiyoomi, his boyfriend of a year and a half, told Hinata he should meet his family.“Y-you think I should what?”-Hinata meets Sakusa’s family
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 271





	Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Over the years, Hinata had gotten much better at managing his emotions. Throwing up from nervousness before a game and having random, emotional outbursts were things of the past, and it made him very proud to think about how far he had come dealing with his emotions and how he handled them, truly, like the mature, responsible adult he was.

That being said, he felt like all those efforts were immediately thrown out the window when Sakusa Kiyoomi, his boyfriend of a year and a half, told Hinata he should meet his family. 

It didn’t help how bluntly and causally he’d brought it up in conversation, either. Sakusa was never one to sugarcoat things, he found it useless and thought it made things much more complicated than they needed to be, but just for a moment Hinata wished his boyfriend had practiced the art of “laying it easy” on someone, because then maybe he wouldn’t have almost choked on his tonjiru.

“Y-you think I should what?” He asked, shocked and wiping up the soup that had dripped onto his chin from fumbling his soup spoon.

“Meet my family,” Sakusa repeated, voice calm and level as ever, though a little too calm for Hinata to think this was normal. Almost as if he could read his thoughts, Sakusa drank from his bowl like he usually would when they talked and ate.

“W-what brought this up so suddenly?” Hinata laughed nervously, fidgeting with his fingers in his lap. 

Sakusa shrugged, gently placing the bowl down. “We’ve been together for a while now, so it’s probably about time they meet you...” He wiped his face with his napkin and cleared his throat before continuing.

“My family invited me to a dinner in honor of my sister being promoted to chairwoman,” he explained, a sense of urgency in his voice. “And it’s the first we’ve all been in the country at the same time in years, so I figured I’d ask if you wanted to go.” His speaking became slightly rushed towards the end and he quickly began to clean up his space from dinner, thanking Hinata for the food, before he took his dishes and escaped into the kitchen.

Hinata watched his boyfriend’s retreating back, feeling a little out of depth. Sakusa’s family wasn’t something they talked about a lot. Or, at all, in fact. 

From what he could gather in the bits and pieces he’d collected since they’d started dating (no personal information was revealed when they were friends, and even after they’d started dating it wasn’t until half a year into their relationship his family was brought up, Sakusa mentioning that his father hated plums, while they were his favorite), Sakusa didn’t have a bad relationship with the rest of his family, but he didn’t have a good one, either. 

Strained, was one way to describe it. Nonexistent was Sakusa’s favorite. When Hinata asked him about it one night when they were trying to sleep, his mind always whirring and curious before he went to bed, Sakusa simply stated his family weren’t the most the emotional or intimate type, and thus they didn’t speak often and were detached, which Hinata thought made sense considering, the kind of person Sakusa was when they first met. Unemotional and detached described Sakusa to a tee, for anyone who didn’t know him. 

Still, it was a very strange thing for Hinata to wrap his head around, not being close to your family that is, especially with the kind of family the Hinata’s were. “Close” didn’t even begin to describe the affection they had for one another.

When Sakusa met the Hinata’s years back, before they had even been dating, he was a little surprised at how casual they were. They always hugged each other and laughed so loudly at each other’s jokes, and later he learned none of them would ever finish a phone call without first saying “I love you”. 

(The first time it happened with him and Hinata was by accident, Hinata explained later. “Force of habit!” was his reasoning, as if that would make it less shocking. Sakusa’s entire face burned bright red at the words and he could barely hear Hinata’s stuttering apologizes past the sound of his own heart beating in his chest.)

It took a little getting used to, being around a family so tactile and dating someone the same way, but he got comfortable with it over the time they were together. He even gave Natsu a half hug when she would visit, though Hinata-san was still relentless and forced him into a bone crushing hug anytime they were over. 

After they started dating, it really felt like Sakusa had become one of the Hinata’s. They would message him things they thought he’d like, or would send him recipes to try (Hinata-san was a godsend for that sukiyuki recipe, he was sure), and eventually he found himself returning the favors, always embarrassed and shyly because Hinata would watch him with that fond, loving smile on his face as he interacted with his family, like when he excitedly texted Natsu back about a skincare product she’d tried at his recommendation.

Being friendly and affectionate with the Hinata’s was something he’d learned to love and was happy to do, but with his own family? The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. 

Sakusa told Hinata he didn’t hate his family, but they just weren’t important to him like Hinata’s family was to him, and the confession had Hinata crying on his behalf, and then apologizing for his tears when it he should’ve been comforting Sakusa (not that he needed it) instead of the other way around.

Eventually, though, Hinata came to terms with the lack of relationship Sakusa and his family had. Everyone’s family was different and he really didn’t have a place to judge what they did or didn’t do. He was sure people found it weird how close his family was, so thinking someone else’s family was weird because it was different than his was a bit hypocritical and rude to him. 

Having accepted that fact about the Sakusa’s, he really hadn’t anticipated the idea of ever meeting them, much less at Sakusa’s request. Having his thoughts a little more collected than before, he picked up his dishes and followed his boyfriend into the kitchen.

When he arrived, he found the other furiously scrubbing a pot, his jaw sharp and set and his entire body rigid as his forearm assaulted the dish with a sponge. Uh oh, he was stress cleaning.

Carefully, Hinata placed his dishes on the counter and slowly approached Sakusa, snaking his arms around his waist and attaching himself to the older’s back. They stood like that for a moment, Hinata watching Sakusa’s furrowed brow go deeper into his face, the way it would when he was deep in thought, and how the water sloshed around from his efforts before he figured enough was enough.

“Kiyoomi,” he said softly, placing his hand on Sakusa’s, and the movements stopped immediately. His body was stiff like he was holding his breath and Hinata knew he needed to let go. “What’s wrong?”

With the sigh of a king, Sakusa released his breath and his whole body relaxed instantly, slightly slumping over the sink in response, but he was held up by Hinata’s arm, the younger’s fingers rubbing gently at his ribs.

“It’s my family,” Sakusa muttered after a moment of silence, trying to gather his thoughts. He shifted slightly to look at Hinata over his shoulder and smiled a little when he saw Hinata’s encouraging and gentle smile of his own plastered on his face.

Bottling up emotions, from both sides, was something they had been working on recently, an issue they realized part way through their relationship and wanted to square away immediately to avoid any unnecessary squabbling and unintentional hurt. Hinata felt proud that Sakusa was willing to share how he felt and talk about his family with him, and Sakusa was grateful for how patient Hinata was and the fact that he was willing to listen.

“It’s complicated,” he started, sighing in frustration before he leaned over the sink more, his hands gripping the edges. “I’ve never needed them before and I don’t care what they think, but the thought of them not liking you… it scares me.”

Hinata wasn’t sure how to take that, but before he could think of how to respond, Sakusa was speaking again. “They’re very judgmental and while I know how wonderful you are,” His voice was edging on panic and worry as he spoke. “They can be very mean and cruel people, and they tend to say hurtful things.” Sakusa turned around to face Hinata, staring into his eyes to show him how serious he was. 

He retracted the younger's hands from around his waist to hold them in between their bodies. “I love you so much, Sho’, and nothing they say or think could ever change the way I feel about you.”

He faltered, eyes shifting away in embarrassment and shame. “But… I’m still concerned about their opinion, and I’m not sure why. I love you and I will always love you, but them disliking you and saying cruel things to you is something I’m very afraid of.”

Sakusa gave Hinata a moment to process all of this, turning back around and continuing his relentless cleaning. Hinata moved away from behind Sakusa and instead took up space next to him, leaning his body against the counter.

There was silence between them, as Hinata watched Sakusa clean and gathered his own thoughts on the situation. He understood where Sakusa was coming from entirely; when Sakusa had met his family, even only as a friend he was still worried sick that they would say something to offend him or tell him later after Sakusa left that they didn’t like him and they didn’t understand why he hung around him and wanted him to cut ties immediately, or something else very ridiculous and fueled by anxiety like that.

Of course, none of that happened, the Hinata’s accepted Sakusa with loving and opening arms, but Hinata still understood the fear. And then to add the fact that his family was very “uppity”, as Sakusa had described them once before, and wouldn’t hesitate to shoot either of them down at the drop of a hat just because they could? Hinata felt a little afraid himself.

The younger brough himself closer to Sakusa again, stopping his ministrations once more as he hugged him from the side. 

“Hey,” he said softly, grabbing Sakusa’s attention, the other turning his head towards him. Hinata stood on his tip toes and kissed his boyfriend’s lips, making the other smile softly.

“It’ll be okay, Kiyoomi,” he reassured. He ran his fingers through the hair at the base of Sakusa’s neck and smiled when the other closed his eyes in response, enjoying the feeling.

“I understand wanting approval from your family, but if they don’t like me, there’s not much we can do about it. It’ll suck real bad if they don’t like our relationship, but it’s _our_ relationship, not theirs, so they’ll just have to deal.”

Sakusa laughed a little at Hinata’s determined tone and cupped his cheek, leaning down to kiss him. As he spoke, he rested their foreheads together, staring deep into Hinata’s eyes. “You’re right,” he almost whispered. “It’ll suck, but we’ll get through it.”

Satisfied, Hinata nodded and let out a proud “hmph!” before kissing the other again. He grabbed Sakusa’s hand and pulled him from the sink.

“Let’s go take a nap, baby.” Sakusa was about to argue, looking at the dishes, but Hinata pulled him away. “I’ll do them later, I _promise_ , but let’s take a nap first! All these emotions make me tired.”

Sakusa tried to resist, a forlorn look at the full sink thrown over his shoulder, but he knew he was weak to Hinata’s pout, and sighed. “Okay, let's go take a nap.”

Hinata cheered and kissed Sakusa’s cheek. “I’ll race you!”

Sakusa was about to tell Hinata he wouldn’t race him to the bedroom because he had just said he was tired a second ago, but the other took off in an instance and the older followed, their hallway full of giggles before the apartment would go silent as they slept. They were going to have to talk about Sakusa’s family more later, but for now, they could sleep.

-

The dinner was planned to happen Friday night at the end of the week, and Hinata was a bundle of nerves in anticipation. While he had gotten much better at managing his anxieties as he got older, this situation was something he’d never dealt with before and he wasn’t sure how to navigate it. 

Sakusa was his first ever real relationship and it had been a learning journey the entire time. There was always a new challenge to face sharing your life with someone else, both good and bad, but Hinata had known a lot of people in his life and he somewhat prided himself on being able to handle the differences between others and finding out what worked best for everyone. 

Meeting his partner’s family, however, that felt extremely foreign and nerve racking. He’d met his friends’ families before and he’d been a little nervous then too, but it wasn’t like the stake of their whole relationship rode on whether his friends’ parents liked him or not. 

He knew his relationship with Sakusa wouldn’t be determined by that either, but something about it just felt a lot more serious, a lot more important. Sure, they would be together regardless of what his family thought, but knowing the family of the love of your life didn’t like you, or worse, actively _disliked you_ , his heart felt like it would give out from all the stress and worrying.

And Sakusa, bless his heart, was a doll throughout all of this, supporting Hinata and telling him that everything would be okay. He was worried too of course, but not nearly as bad as Hinata was, especially after they had their talk of reassurances and how they’d love each other no matter what and the like when they woke up from their nap.

He felt pretty confident that it was _impossible_ for anyone to actually dislike Hinata Shoyo, even his catty family, but he was also prepared to completely cut ties and never speak to them again if they said anything to insult or hurt his love. C’est la vie, was the kind of attitude he had throughout the whole week before the dinner, between placating Hinata’s worries and corresponding with his mother about when to be at his parent’s house.

This was Sakusa’s plan for the evening; they would go to his parents’ house, probably have an awkward and silent drink in the parlor, have some over the top and pompous dinner, skid through any critical and pointed jabs at their relationship with poise and grace, maybe have dessert if Hinata was still hungry, and be out of there in two hours or less.

Meanwhile, Hinata’s plan was… well, he hadn’t really had time to think of a plan, too caught up in his own worry. He’d been the one to say everything would be fine, but he was also the one with the most at stake here. 

He knew it would be nothing more than a dinner, but his mind also liked to play tricks on him sometimes and make things that weren’t a very big deal into a _huge_ deal. It’d probably be a formal and uncomfortable dinner at most, no life changing decisions nor relationship ending occurrences happening over lamb and risotto, but then he’d start to think about being viewed as a _nuisance_ or someone holding Sakusa back and he felt lightheaded.

He was anxious the entire time leading up to the dinner, and it reached its peak in the car ride over. For the whole drive, his leg was shaking anxiously, jackhammering the floor of the car and rustling the items inside the center console violently. 

Sakusa felt terrible. If he knew meeting his family would’ve caused Hinata this much stress, he never would’ve brought it up in the first place. The only reason he proposed it to Hinata was because his mother had randomly messaged him out of the blue, the first time in his twenty four years of knowing the woman, and she had directly requested Hinata’s presence.

To help calm his boyfriend down, Sakusa reached his hand across the console and placed it on Hinata’s knee, halting the shaking and the sound of the bouncing pens and hand sanitizer he stored in the console. 

In alarm, Hinata whipped his head in Sakusa’s direction and the brunette felt so sorry for the younger’s neck. “W-what’s the matter, Kiyoomi?” Hinata asked, sounding completely shaken up. “I-is everything alright?”

Sakusa couldn't look at Hinata for too long, being the one driving the car, so he hoped his words still held their meaning with only a few second long glances. “Baby, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to.”

“What?!” Hinata shouted, sounding almost betrayed and the loud volume in the small car made Sakusa’s ears hurt, which Hinata quickly apologized for. “I-it’s fine, Kiyo, I’m fine! Look!” He interlocked his hand with Sakusa’s, and Sakusa could see the strain in his arm as he tried his best to not let his hand shake. He also noticed that Hinata’s thumb was bleeding, chewed down to the numb as biting his nails was a horrible habit he had when he was anxious, and it made Sakusa frown.

“S-see?” Hinata said, voice wobbling but still trying to sound positive. “You know my hands shake when I’m nervous, and they’re not! I’m fine! I promise!”

Sakusa, obviously, didn’t believe him but he didn’t want to make Hinata’s mood worse so he simply nodded, hoping it was believable enough for his nervous lover. “Okay, Shoyo, if you say so.” He brought their intertwined hands up to his lips and kissed Hinata’s knuckles, grateful how the action seemed to ground the other a little and the knee that had subconsciously started shaking again stopped slightly.

Hinata sighed a little, trying to steady himself, and let his other hand clasp their conjoined fingers. “I’m fine, really, Kiyoomi,” he said softly. “If… if I get it out now, it won’t be a problem at dinner, so it’s better this way.”

Ah, so that was the problem.

As a precursor before their relationship started, Hinata informed Sakusa that he had what was called Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short, and it seemingly caused a lot of issues in terms of relationships with adults and in the lives of adults in general.

Sakusa knew about a lot of illnesses, even studied them as a way to protect himself from getting them or knowing what to do if he did, but he’d never really ventured into the mental health world much because, as far as he knew, it didn’t pertain to him too much. 

While he had heard of ADHD before, he hadn’t really known much about it, nor how it would affect their relationship if they were to move forward with one. When Hinata explained the issues couples often faced, such as attachment issues, communication problems, and the fact that most couples with an ADHD partner eventually end with a breakup, he was more than a little surprised to hear how it affected people.

When he could remember the few times he’d heard about ADHD, it was always talked about dismissively and like it wasn’t a big deal, so he wasn’t aware of the very real issues people living with it and their loved ones faced. 

Hinata had, embarrassingly, explained that Sakusa was his first ever real relationship, so he wasn’t sure what it would be like to be with him, but for curiosity reasons and preventive measures as to avoid any problems in the future relating to being in a relationship, both as someone with ADHD and as the partner of someone with ADHD, he did a lot of research beforehand so he could be prepared.

(He even proudly explained he had looked up how to tell someone you were in or were going to be in a relationship with how to approach them with this topic, and if the situation had been appropriate, Sakusa would’ve kissed him for how happy and accomplished he looked over that.)

Still, despite being well prepared and having a lot of discussions about it with Sakusa, Hinata still encountered many problems with other people, especially with people ignorant of ADHD and how seriously it affected people’s lives. 

Many people were dismissive of him and his condition, claiming it wasn’t real or that even if it was, it wasn’t that big of a deal. “So he gets distracted sometimes? That’s normal, it happens to everyone!” Yet they would get annoyed with it happening multiple times within a conversation because they didn’t realize it was something difficult to control. 

Sakusa was sure Hinata would never outright say this, but he could tell that was a very big reason as to why he was concerned about tonight. Another big part of ADHD was being very sensitive to how other people act around you, and if they mistreated him because of habits he had, Sakusa knew it would be very difficult to get Hinata back to a good spot mentally. 

Sakusa’s heart ached over the worry and pain Hinata was carrying over this, and he squeezed his hand tightly in reassurance. “It’ll be okay, Shoyo,” he said, kissing Hinata’s knuckles once more, because it was all he could say.

Hinata smiled tightly at Sakusa and turned to face out the window, nervously chewing on his fingers and letting his knee bounce freely, and this time, Sakusa let him.

-

One thing Sakusa had mentioned about his family was that they were wealthy. It made sense when Sakusa had finally told him; their apartment was very nice for how young they were, even if they were both professional athletes, and not once had he heard mention of a student loan at all. But Sakusa had never given him a number; he simply said they were well off. 

_“Well off” doesn’t even_ begin _to describe it_ , Hinata thought as they pulled up to the Sakusa estate (yes, an actual estate), his jaw dropping in shock. 

The estate was a nice sized land (“ _*An expletive*_ _huge_ ,” was how Hinata would have described it) with a western style mansion sitting on top of it. There was a fountain, garden hedges, a metal gate separating “the public” (that actually had a camera and they had to use a code to get into like the movies), and when they pulled up there was even a _driver_ waiting to take their car and park it somewhere. 

While Sakusa spoke with the driver about car stuff that the younger didn’t understand, Hinata tried to take everything in and he felt a _little_ overwhelmed. Just a little bit, though, of course. Why would he be freaking out or anything like that? It’s not like his boyfriend was _filthy rich_ or anything. _Oh, wait._

When the driver took the car away, he left Sakusa and Hinata standing on the front porch in front of the intimidating front door, a door knocker that looked like a lion head just waiting to be used and its teeth made Hinata gulp.

“Sooo,” Hinata said, extremely normal and casually, before erupting into a whisper-scream. “ _You’re rich?!_ ”

Sakusa actually looked a little bashful at that, not meeting Hinata’s eyes and instead finding something about his shoes very interesting. “...Kind of?”

Hinata lightly poked Sakusa’s shoulder in outrage. “What do you mean ‘kind of’? There is a naked, baby cupid sitting in that fountain!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Sakusa’s voice sounded very soft and shameful and Hinata immediately dropped the mad act.

“Oh, Kiyo, don’t feel bad about it.” His fingers gently touched Sakusa’s chin and lifted his head up so their eyes would meet, his heart clenching a little at how ashamed the other looked.

“Aw, baby, I’m sure you had your reasons.” He pulled Sakusa into a hug and rubbed his back with one hand as he gently cupped the back of his head with the other.

“I didn’t tell you only because I really don’t talk to my family that often and I left this life behind. When I was eighteen, I got access to my inheritance, but I never used it until we started dating.”

Hinata pulled away to look at Sakusa in surprise. “Really? But, why?”

Sakusa shrugged shyly, pouting a little at having to be so honest, and Hinata thought he looked so cute like that. “I wanted to give you nice things, and I never really had any use for the money before you.”

Hinata felt touched and kissed Sakusa’s cheek before reaching for his hand and holding it tight. “We’ll obviously have to talk about this later, but I’m not mad at you not telling me. If you say it wasn’t relevant, then I believe you.”

Not for the first time since they’d started dating, Sakusa felt grateful and indebted for how kind and understanding Hinata was. He knew he’d probably still feel guilt over keeping such a big secret from the love of his life, but it made it a little easier to know Hinata wasn’t mad at him. 

Part of the reason why he was nervous about tonight on top of everything else was how Hinata would react to his parents’... lifestyle. He moved out very quickly after turning eighteen and dropped almost every aspect of that life when he did, and the only reason he hadn’t paid for school himself was because his family had set up a plan long before he was even in elementary school, having high expectations for their youngest to follow in their footsteps and turn into something great like they had (and the only reason they couldn’t take it away when he didn’t follow in those footsteps was because legally they weren’t able to, since it was no longer their money.)

He wasn’t sure how to break it to Hinata before this point. He knew he probably could’ve, showing up on your parents’ marble staircase certainly wasn’t the smoothest of ways to reveal it, but he was scared it would’ve changed how Hinata felt about him.

Foolish Sakusa, though; he should’ve known something like money wouldn’t have Hinata running for the hills that easily. 

“If we’re revealing secrets tonight, there’s something I need to tell you, too,” Hinata suddenly announced.

Sakusa looked at Hinata with curiosity. Hinata was… to put it lightly, very bad at lying and keeping secrets and any other form of the sort, so the fact that he had a secret from Sakusa as well was very unusual.

Hinata took a deep breath, bracing himself to reveal this oh so terrible secret. Then very quickly he said, “One time I accidentally misplaced my tooth brush and I couldn’t find it and I was really desperate so I had to use yours and I threw it away immediately and replaced it before you could notice.” After his confession, Hinata slapped his hands over his mouth, as if to stop any more of the word vomit.

For a moment, Sakusa just looked at him. Then, he started laughing _really hard_ and Hinata was blushing and embarrassed over all of this.

“Don’t _laugh_ , it’s not funny! I felt horrible about it for weeks, and I still do!” Hinata pouted while Sakusa kept laughing and he crossed his arms to appear mad before he joined in on the laughter as well.

When they finally calmed down, Sakusa pulled Hinata in front of him and wrapped his arms around his waist, his chin on top of his head.

“You’re really cute, you know that, right?”

“Hey, I’m not cute, I’m tough!”

“Oh, are you now? My tough little man who uses my toothbrush and then freaks out about it?”

 _“Kiyo-chan,_ _gosh, you’re so mean!”_

Sakusa smiled down at the other. “Yeah, but you love me.”

Hinata looked up and smiled back before kissing his lips. “Yeah, I do.”

They maintained eye contact for a moment before Sakusa spoke. “Oh, and don’t use my toothbrush again, please. There are a lot of things I’m willing to share with you, but even that’s crossing a line.”

Hinata giggled. “Okay, I promise, I won’t. It was an act of desperation, I swear!”

Sakusa looked at the love of his life with a smile before he looked at the front door, it’s presence haunting him. He always hated that door and it’s stupid knocker. 

He looked down at Hinata again. “You ready to do this, love?”

Hinata separated them and took his spot next to Sakusa, gripping his hand tightly as he turned to give Sakusa his beautiful smile. “Ready.”

And together, they knocked on the door.

-

They were greeted by a maid who took their coats and it was a very strange experience for Hinata. His family never struggled too badly in his youth, and they were definitely much better off now given his job, but he’d never lived a life of luxury and to be thrown into it head first made him feel weird.

Sakusa, however, looked so natural in this environment, Hinata couldn’t believe how simply he was able to live now compared to this. He didn’t struggle to give his coat to the maid like Hinata did, who found it strange to have someone tend to him like that, and he very easily blended in with the nice clothes he was wearing.

It wasn’t a suit or anything, but it was a pair of black slacks matched with nice shoes, a blazer, and a turtleneck that had Hinata’s eyes bugging out of his head from how attractive he looked. Expensive looked good on Sakusa, and how naturally he led Hinata to the parlor with his hand on the small of his back had his heart fluttering.

In the parlor were two men and a woman, the men having what looked like a serious and quiet business conversation while the woman drank her drink in silence and watched. When they saw Sakusa and Hinata enter, they immediately stood up and approached them. 

“Kiyoomi, it’s been so long,” the woman called. Her voice was pleasant, but there was also an edge to it that Hinata didn’t understand.

“Mother,” Sakusa replied evenly, giving a slight bow to the woman and Hinata’s eyes widened over the fact that she was his mother.

Obviously, he knew he was going to meet Sakusa’s mother, but she wasn’t exactly what Hinata had expected. She was tall, a bit shorter than Sakusa, even if she hadn’t been wearing heels, and she was thin and pretty. She seemed well put together and wore almost all black, similarly to her son, the only sort of color on her was the bright, white, pearl necklace that made a stark contrast compared to the rest of her outfit.

Her hair was black and sleek, pulled back into a bun, and Hinata thought she probably had long, beautiful hair, making her one who probably had given Sakusa the hair Hinata loved so much. With her hair out of her face it revealed a beautiful complexion and Hinata was surprised by how clear and clean her skin looked, not a blemish or wrinkle in sight when she was at least halfway through her forties.

“And you must be Hinata Shoyo,” she said with a tight smile on her face, turning towards Hinata.

“Y-yes, ma’am, I am.” He tried very hard to not let his voice shake and gave her a bow deeper than Sakusa had.

“Oh, no need for all that,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand, and it seemed the mood from her had changed from tight to a little bit more relaxed. “I’m Sakusa Michi, and this is my husband Junichirou, and our eldest son Ryuusei. It’s a pleasure to have you in our home, Shoyo-kun.”

At the mentions of their names, Junichirou and Ryuusei nodded and Hinata reciprocated, though the light mood from Michi didn’t seem to follow them and they were eyeing Sakusa heavily, waiting for him to say something.

Junichiro of a similar build of Sakusa, though just a little bit shorter and more lean from lack of muscle. He was in a nice, black suit, though he had removed his blazer at some point, and he held his drink tightly in his hand as he looked at his youngest son.

Ryuusei was easily the tallest person here, even taller than Sakusa, and despite the years surrounded by tall people, Hinata found him a little intimidating, even with the almost bored look on his face that could rival Sakusa’s that he wore whenever he didn’t want to be somewhere. He looked similar to Sakusa, but he seemed to take more after their father while Sakusa took after their mother, the first two with slightly softer edges to their face while the other two had sharper and more defined lines.

He was also watching Sakusa, though not as obviously as their father, and he had a strange look on his face, like he almost didn’t recognize the person before him that was supposed to be his brother.

Sakusa had been looking at Hinata, the slightest ghost of a smile on his face to tell Hinata that everything would be okay, and it made Hinata feel better as he smiled back. 

“Hijiri is running a bit late,” Michi announced and the tense air around the group of people that had formed vanished immediately. Michi walked towards a drink cart and began to prepare something while Sakusa’s father and brother went back to sit on the couch, Sakusa and Hinata following them and sitting on the couch directly across from them where Michi had been sitting before.

“The woman of the hour is running late to her own party?” Sakusa asked, and very carefully inched his hand to touch Hinata’s pinky that was laying against his thigh to comfort him, the younger not knowing what to do with his hands.

“Being the chairwoman will do that to you,” his mother offered. She looked at Hinata and he did everything in his power to not outwardly flinch.

She smiled at him, a very bright and happy smile that kind of looked out of place in such a monochromatic and dark colored home, and raised a glass up to him. “Do you want anything to drink, Shoyo-kun?”

“W-water, please,” he croaked out, his throat suddenly feeling very dry, and Michi nodded, filling a whiskey glass with ice and water before walking over and handing it to him. He took it and nodded his thanks before taking a sip, his throat instantly cooling from the liquid.

Michi was standing over him and still smiling as he drank his drink, though it felt less pleasant the longer it went on. “Are you nervous, Shoyo-kun?” She asked, and Hinata choked on his drink.

“Mother,” Sakusa warned, sounding affronted on Hinata’s behalf, and he squeezed their pinkies together to calm Hinata.

“What, Kiyoomi? It’s alright if the boy’s nervous, from all the nothing I know about him, nervousness was something I expected tonight.” Her voice was both casual and venomous as she spoke and she joined Junichirou and Ryuusei on the couch, sitting between them as she crossed her legs and placed her interlocked hands on her knees, staring Hinata and Kiyoomi down.

“So, Shoyo-kun, what do you do for work?” She asked, that tight smile never leaving her face and Hinata realized that was when he could actually see wrinkles in her complexion.

Panicked, Hinata shot a look at Sakusa from the corner of his eye before returning his attention to Sakusa’s mother. “U-um, Kiyoomi didn’t tell you?”

“No, he didn’t,” she said, and her voice sounded disappointed. “Not that I don’t already know, I’ve seen your games on the news and such, but I want to hear it from you.” She learned forward slightly, one of her hands turning into a fist to support her chin and the other draping across her forearm, possibly to show interest in the conversation, but to Hinata it seemed more like a way to show she was in control.

Hinata cleared his throat and tried hard to meet those eyes staring back at him, challenging him. “W-well, I’m a starting member for the national team, just like Sakusa is. Volleyball is how we met, actually.” He patted himself on the back in his head for getting through that so smoothly, and he felt Sakusa grab his hand in reassurance, which Michi seemed to notice, her eyes zipping over to their hands at the movement like a predator stalking its prey.

She brought her eyes back up to Hinata’s and she looked unimpressed. “Right, volleyball.” There was disdain in her voice and Hinata hoped she moved on quickly to a next subject, his blood turning hot at the idea of her disrespecting the second most important thing in his life, behind Sakusa.

“Yes,” he said, grasping for a perch in the conversation. “What is it that you do, Sakusa-san?”

“Michi is fine,” she replied and it felt sinister, like a trap. Hinata realized she reminded him of a spider. “And nothing, now. I used to help run the company with Jun-kun,” she gestured to Sakusa’s father, rubbing a hand on his shoulder. “But, I’ve retired now.”

Hinata nodded, absorbing the information. She didn’t know the Sakusa’s had a family company, though that would explain the wealth, but he didn’t think it was the appropriate time to ask Sakusa about it, leaving it for later. He turned to Junichirou. “And do you still work there as well, Sakusa-san?”

Apparently, Junichirou preferred to be called formally, as he made no corrections to Hinata calling him Sakusa-san. “I do.” His voice was gruff and thick, a direct parallel to his wife’s. “Not for much longer, though. I retire at the end of this year.”

“Well, congratulations, sir.” Hinata raised his drink slightly to Junichirou and Junichirou nodded, repaying the favor.

“What about you, Ryuusei-san?” Sakusa’s brother had been sitting there silently during this time, much like Sakusa had been, though not as intensely. Ryuusei sighed quietly and put his phone that he had been fiddling with away into his pocket.

“I’m the CFO for Saito Insurance,” he stated simply and offered nothing more.

“Oh, wow, that’s amazing, Ryuusei-san,” Hinata marveled. “Why is it that you don’t work at your father’s company?” Hinata took a chance asking that, not even sure if it was his father’s company or not, but he decided to chance it since the names were different.

Ryuusei’s eyebrow quirked and he tsked in annoyance at the question. Hinata panicked for a second, worried that he had been wrong or offended him, but before he could apologize Ryuusei was already speaking.

“Because I don’t believe in nepotism and refuse to be placed at the top of the pyramid just because my father owns the company,” he said pointedly, though refusing to look at his father.

Uh, oh. Maybe Hinata hadn’t been wrong, but he’d definitely stepped on a landmine. 

Junichirou and Ryuusei started arguing over Michi and Michi and Sakusa rolled their eyes simultaneously, as if this wasn’t the first time they’ve heard this conversation.

“How many times must I _tell you_ , Ryuusei, there is nothing dishonorable about maintaining the family business,” his father growled.

“And how many times must _I_ tell you that taking a job simply because it’s one from within your family is foolishness, father?” He snided back, and Hinata started to get very anxious. This was escalating very quickly and he hadn’t meant to start a fight.

Noticing his panic, Sakusa spoke up. “Ryuusei, refill Hinata’s drink,” and he pushed it into Ryuusei’s hands. “Father, find out where Hijiri is and what’s taking her so long.”

The room fell silence at Sakusa’s words. All of them were looking at Sakusa like he was out of his mind, Hinata especially. Sakusa didn’t _command_ people, and his family definitely didn’t seem like the type of people to take that kind of thing laying down. 

Before any of them could speak, Sakusa quickly stood up, making Hinata stand with him. “Shoyo and I will be right back,” he informed them, and then looked at Michi. “Mother, why don’t you check on dinner and see how long until it’s ready? I’m sure all of us are hungry.” He looked at all of his family pointedly when he said that, almost as if he was reprimanding them for his behavior.

And with that, he dragged Hinata out by the hand, the younger barely able to get out a bow and an “excuse us” before he stumbled out after his boyfriend.

Sakusa took them out to the back porch and Hinata immediately felt better with the fresh air. When he closed the door, he turned to Hinata and frowned deeply when he saw his face, the younger overwhelmed from all that had happened.

Sakusa captured Hinata into a hug and held him tight, petting his hair and rubbing his back as the younger took deep breaths to try and control himself. 

When he deemed himself calm enough, he pulled away and looked up at Sakusa, a wobbly smile on his face. “Your family’s really intense, Kiyoomi.”

Sakusa smiled a little and kissed his forehead. “Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. I had to get you out of there before they started throwing stuff.”

“Throwing stuff?” Hinata whispered in shock. 

Sakusa laughed and hugged Hinata again. “They're a little bit… unhinged, I know.” Then Sakusa turned serious, gently holding Hinata’s chin in his fingers as he looked him in the eyes. 

“Which is why, if you want to leave right now, we can. I’ll make up some excuse and we can be out of here and eating from that Thai place we heard about that got an A+ from the health inspector in less than an hour.”

A surprised laugh ripped through Hinata at Sakusa’s silliness and he poked his ribs. “Sakusa Kiyoomi, am I hearing it right that you want to _run away_ from something?”

Sakusa frowned a little. “If it means you won’t be treated poorly, I’d run away from anything for you.”

Hinata felt touched. Hearing Sakusa “Always See Things Through To The End” Kiyoomi say he’d drop something just for Hinata meant more than most people would understand, and that’s exactly why he knew they couldn’t leave.

“No, no, Kiyoomi,” he said softly, shaking his head and wrapping his arms around Kiyoomi’s waist. He locked his hands together behind the older’s back and rested his chin on his chest, looking up at him. 

“We can’t run away, Kiyoomi. Not from this.”

Sakusa sighed and kissed Hinata’s nose, making him giggle. “Fine. Sometimes I wish you weren’t so tenacious, you know.” 

Hinata knew that was a lie and smiled in response, Sakusa looking at him unimpressed. “You’re lucky you’re cute and I like you a lot more than I dislike my family.”

Hinata laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Just like?”

“Just like, you brat.” Sakusa smacked Hinata on the butt and laughed at Hinata’s surprised shout, kissing the point off his lips. 

“Boys,” a voice suddenly called, and they turned abruptly to see Sakusa’s mother standing there watching them. They separated, though only slightly. 

“Hijiri is here and dinner is almost ready.”

Sakusa gave his mother a nod and let her know they’d be inside soon, and she nodded in response, giving them a pointed look before she went back inside. 

They pulled away and looked at each other, holding each other’s hands. 

“Ready?” Hinata asked, smiling at Sakusa, and Sakusa returned it.

“Ready.”

Hinata grinned. “You know, she totally saw you touch my butt, right?”

Sakusa snorted and playfully shoved Hinata before pulling him along towards the door. “Come on, you dummy, they’re waiting for us.”

-

When they entered the house, they saw the family had moved from the parlor into the dining room and followed them. All of the Sakusa’s were sitting and getting ready to eat except for another woman, who Hinata assumed was Hijiri, Sakusa’s older sister.

Hijiri was tall and thin like Michi, but she held herself differently than her mother. Michi was full of poise and certainty, like she knew she owned and could control the room, but Hijiri stood with confidence and authority, evident by the way she had her hip thrown out and her hand perched on it, her heeled foot tapping impatiently against the floor like there was a fool wasting her time and she’d had the last of it.

She was on the phone with someone, chewing her cheek and rolling her eyes at every word they said. When she’d had enough, she sharply cut the other person off and the scattered chittering that was coming from the other side of the line stopped abruptly.

“Jougasaki-san,” she said sweetly, her voice thin and sharp like a knife and Hinata got a chill down his spine as he was reminded of his encounter with her mother. “How many times must I explain this to you before you get it through that _thick skull of yours?_ ”

“We _cannot_ lose this deal, do you understand?” she continued, examining her nails and making it very obvious her time would be better spent doing anything else. “And I’m very certain I _distinctly remember_ telling you to get into contact with Hattori-san so she could help you this, since I was aware of your incompetence when I brought you on this project, but I decided to give you a chance anyway.

She paused, letting her words simmer and etch itself into this poor person’s head, before continuing her onslaught of attacks. “Or am I mistaken, Jougasaki-san, in that I didn’t tell you to correspond with Hattori-san and I in fact _shouldn’t_ have given you a chance? I can check with my assistant to see if he can find my note reminding myself to tell you about Hattori-san, and I can even talk to Mang-san if you need that much help jogging your memory.”

Silence met the other line and Hinata felt so bad for this person. “Speak _up_ , Jougasaki, you know I hate that horrible, silent habit of yours,” she growled, and her expression softened into a smile when the rambles started pouring out of the phone.

“That’s better. I’m sure you can handle it from here, yes? I have to go now, but give my love to your wife. Goodbye,” and she harshly clicked the end call button. 

She let out a sharp exhale before making herself smile and letting it drop quickly, a blank and stern expression on her face and Hinata felt like he got whiplash from how quickly she was able to change her face and mood. Her brow furrowed and she walked towards Hinata and Sakusa.

“You must be Hinata Shoyo,” she said, her voice level and the epitome of a serious business woman. She was probably the scariest of all the Sakusa’s; Michi had nothing on her.

“Sakusa Hijiri,” she introduced. “Chairwoman of MAN Media.” Her and Hinata exchanged a bow and when Hinata stood up, he could feel the irritation rolling of Sakusa’s body. Of all the people in his family, and with little had been mentioned at that, Hijiri was the relative he’d heard the least about, not even knowing her name until this evening.

“Congratulations, Hijiri-san,” Hinata said softly and held Sakusa’s hand behind his back, the older tightening his grip.

Hijiri smirked and it was probably the scariest thing Hinata had ever seen. “Thank you, Hinata.” She turned her gaze towards Sakusa and her smirk widened, taking an almost evil appearance to it, and Sakusa bristled.

“Kiyoomi,” she addressed him, and it sounded anything but kind. “I see you’re as useless as ever.”

Hinata’s head snapped towards her at her words, appalled that she could say something so horrible so blatantly to her brother.

“Excuse me?” He snarled and ignored Sakusa’s tightening grip, though this time it wasn’t because the older was anxious.

Hijiri turned back towards Hinata, almost bored and like she’d forgotten he was there. “Hm? Oh, well I’m sure you know, dating him and all.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Hijiri,” he said through gritted teeth, the hold Sakusa had on his hand almost painful. He didn’t care if he was being disrespectful to someone who had just insulted the love of his life, especially if they were saying blatant lies about him. 

The drop of an honorific seemed to surprise Hijiri, but she didn’t let it show much more than her eyes widening slightly before she schooled back into her stern expression once more.

“Just that our little Kiyo-chan here is the black sheep of the family. He had his whole life setup and he threw it all all away for a stupid game.”

Before Hinata could do absolutely ballistic on his sister, Sakusa stepped forward, putting space between the two. 

“That’s enough, Hijiri,” he ordered. “Dinner is ready, Mother is waiting for you in the dining room.”

They maintained an intense eye contact for a few seconds, Hinata glaring daggers into Hijiri’s face as well, before she relented and scoffed.

“You’re too serious, Kiyo-chan,” she teased, squishing his cheeks with her hand and Hinata swore he was going to bite her.

“And you, too, Sho-chan.” Hinata was fuming as she smiled at him. “You’re cute, I get what you see in him, Kiyoomi. So feisty.” She gave them a once over before strutting away into the dining room, nose turned up and pompous, like she was above the situation she had started.

Hinata couldn’t even speak, he was so furious. He looked at Sakusa with rage in his eyes and Sakusa understood, giving him a solemn sigh. 

“She’s… very extreme, I know.” He reached for Hinata’s other hand to hold both in between them, gripping and releasing them to try and distract Hinata from his anger. 

“How can she _say_ those things to you, Kiyoomi? Who does she think she is?!” It was taking everything within Hinata to not march into that dining room and give her a piece of his mind, but he knew Kiyoomi wouldn’t want that.

“She’s very competitive,” he explained, gently making Hinata look at him. “Our parents wanted the best for us, so they pinned us against each other and she’s the only one who hasn’t moved on. She mostly does it just to rile me up.”

“But why you? How could she say you’re useless?” Hinata could feel himself getting choked up, but tried to real it in. “You’re the most hardworking person I know, and you’re competitive too, but she's _mean_. She’s mean to my Kiyoomi.” 

Hinata was pouting and he brought his hand up to Sakusa’s cheek, running his finger gently over the skin and Sakusa sighed at the sensation. “You don’t deserve that, my love.”

Sakusa held his hand against Hinata’s and closed his eyes for a moment, opening them halfway to look at Hinata through hooded eyes. He looked tired.

“It doesn’t bother me anymore. I understand why she is the way she is and there isn’t anything I can do about it. She thinks I wasted my potential, but she’s wrong.”

He kissed Hinata’s cheek before putting their foreheads together. “I’m happy with my life, and I’m happy you’re in my life, my sun. Without you, I don’t know where I’d be.”

Hinata felt his eyes start to water and pulled Sakusa into a hug.

“I love you, Kiyoomi.”

“I love you, too, Shoyo.”

Hinata pulled away and sniffed while Sakusa smiled softly at him, wiping the tears that had started to form from the younger’s eyes.

“Let’s just get this over with and go home, okay, baby?”

Hinata nodded. “Okay.”

-

Dinner was an intense and uncomfortable affair. No words were exchanged by mouth, but many were exchanged by eyes.

Glares were shot across the table from almost everyone, though Hinata was obviously the most upset. The entire time through dinner, he bore holes into Hijiri’s face, irritatedly flicking the prongs on a fork to contain himself, and he almost snapped it in half when she winked at him.

Michi was the first to break the silence, clearing her throat as she tapped a knife against her wine glass to gather everyone’s attention.

“Well, what a wonderful evening this has been.” She sounded both serious and sarcastic and Hinata could feel a vein popping on his forehead, Sakusa reaching for him and clutched his knee in comfort.

“I see my son for the first time in over half a decade,” she continued, gesturing to the side of the table Hinata and Sakusa were sitting on. “He brought his lovely boyfriend,” Hinata put the fork down before he accidentally cut himself on the bent prongs.

She then gestured to Hijiri with her glass, her daughter giving her an obviously fake but bashful smile. “And my daughter has been promoted to chairwoman. Truly a wonderful, blessed evening this has been.”

Apparently, she was done with her toast, because she said nothing more and took a sip of her drink, everyone following her lead except for Hinata and Sakusa.

She clapped her hands together and a few maids came from the kitchen, clearing of their plates. Hinata’s stomach grumbled as he sadly watched his be taken to the kitchen. His anger was the most pressing sensation during dinner, he hadn’t been able to eat anything. 

“Shoyo-kun.” Michi’s voice cut through the air sharply and he did flinch this time.

“Y-yes?”

She smiled and he took a sharp breath in. “Why don’t you come help me in the kitchen with the dessert?”

Hinata looked at her in confusion, turning to Sakusa for some kind of explanation, but he shrugged, nodding to show that it would (probably) be fine. 

Hinata gulped and nodded to Michi, following her into the kitchen. 

In the kitchen, maids were scurrying about preparing for dessert. Hinata reached out to help one of them, but Michi stopped his hand.

“We’re not actually helping prepare dessert, Shoyo-kun. I wanted to talk to you.” She sounded a little amused, like the idea of helping the help was funny, and Hinata looked at the maid with sad eyes before turning back to Michi, waiting for her to speak.

She stared at him for a little bit, making him uncomfortable, and it was almost like she enjoyed the reaction. They heard raised voices coming from the dining room and they both turned towards the sound, but Michi grabbed Hinata’s arm to stop him from investigating.

“Don’t worry about them, Shoyo-kun. Arguing is healthy for a family, especially in one as non-communicative as this one.” Hinata wasn’t reassured, but he nodded and tried to ignore the sound of Sakusa’s strained voice. 

“What did you want to talk about, ma’am-“

“Michi,” she reminded him, and when she smiled it felt a little more genuine this time. 

“M-Michi-san. Why did you pull me in here?”

She observed him, fidgeting with the bottom of the black blazer she was wearing. After a moment, she sighed, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Is he happy?” She asked softly.

He looked at her, and for the first time that night, she actually looked like a mother.

“He’s very happy, Michi-san,” Hinata replied, confidently and with determination. 

She smiled sadly and took Hinata’s hand. “Thank you. We have a lot of issues in our family and I have many regrets, but if the path he chose led to this, I don’t hold anything against him anymore.”

Michi squeezed his hand before quickly pulling it away, patting his arm encouragingly. She turned away from him and grabbed two of the dishes a maid was holding, keeping one for herself and placing the other in Hinata’s hands.

She gave him a gentle look, holding the dish close to her body, as if to protect it. “Now, let's go see what all the fuss is about, shall we?”

Hinata, amazed by the complete 180° Michi had given this evening, could only nod and follow after her into the dining room, and he knew this moment wouldn’t leave his mind for a long time.

-

The second he stepped into the dining room, Sakusa stood and grabbed his arm. 

“We’re leaving,” he declared angrily.

Hinata surveyed the room and saw Hijiri fuming at the table, her arms crossed as a finger tapped against her elbow as her foot tapped irritatedly on the ground. Ryuusei was typing furiously on his phone and Junichirou was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you sure?” Hinata whispered, casting a look at Michi. She looked sad and disappointed and it made his heart ache.

“Yes,” Sakusa spat out, glaring at Hijiri before looking at his mother. “Thank you for the dinner, Mother, it was a wonderful night,” was his sarcastic statement to her before he stormed out of the dining room.

Hinata watched him go, unhappy with just how bad this evening had turned out. He sighed and gently put his dish down on the table before approaching Michi.

“Thank you for the dinner, Michi-san.” Was all he said before he bowed and followed after Sakusa.

Sakusa wasn’t in the foyer like Hinata had expected, but his coat was missing, so Hinata grabbed his own and went out the front door, hoping to catch Sakusa so he wouldn’t be alone on such a cold November night.

He was halfway down the walkway when he spotted him, Sakusa leaning against the gate and staring at the floor with his hands shoved into his coat pockets, and Hinata rushed towards him.

Sakusa glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps and immediately stood up straight when he saw it was Hinata.

“Hey, baby, I’m sorry to have left you like that. I was just so mad-“

“It’s okay,” Hinata interrupted, smiling at him. He reached his hand out and Sakusa quickly took it. “Let’s go home.”

-

The drive back was silent and intense similarly to how dinner was, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable or bad since neither of them were mad at each other.

As they got to know each other over the course of their relationship, Hinata and Sakusa realized they both took a long time to process their emotions properly, so both were more than happy to sit in silence while the other worked through the storm raging inside them.

They held hands the entire drive back, though, both craving touch and intimacy in these moments, because even if with words they couldn’t explain how they felt, when they touched it was like they just knew.

It wasn’t until they were parked in their apartment parking lot that they were able to say something, sitting in the quiet, turned off car for a few moments before turning to each other.

“You go first,” Hinata insisted, sitting scrunched up in the passenger seat, his feet on the edge (shoes off) as he played with Sakusa’s fingers.

Sakusa sighed and sat back in his chair, the recliner put almost as the way down and back as he practically laid down in the seat.

“Father was actually the one to say something first. I thought it would be Hijiri, since she was on a roll earlier, but he made a comment about your ‘unruly appearance’.”

Hinata looked down at himself, frowning. “Are my clothes not nice?” He didn’t really own anything fancy since he never had the occasion to wear nice clothes, but he had nice slacks on and he thought his sweater was cute and classy.

“Oh, baby, you know much I like your clothes.” Sakusa leaned over and kissed Hinata’s hand, making the other blush slightly at his sincerity. “My father just thinks that, for some reason anyone, not wearing a suit at all moments of the day is slacking off.

“But, I like your outfit,” he reassured before smirking. “It makes your butt look cute.”

Hinata giggled and shoved Sakusa, calling him a dork. “What happened next?”

“I sort of… yelled at him, and it started a chain reaction,” he mumbled bashfully. “He yelled back at me, and then he started yelling at Ryuusei, and then Hijiri started yelling at me, and it turned really messy.”

He stroked Hinata’s knuckles with his thumb and Hinata ran his fingers through the older’s hair, brushing it away from his eyes. “What was said to make everyone all awkward when your mom and I walked in?”

Sakusa blushed and shifted, hiding his face behind their conjoined hands.

Hinata laughed. “C’mon, what was it, baby? You can tell me.”

“It’s embarrassing…” he whined a little and Hinata loved that despite his appearance, Sakusa could be so cute sometimes.

“It’s okay, Kiyoomi, I won’t make fun of you or anything,” he reassured, moving their hands to uncover his boyfriend’s face so he could run his knuckles softly against Sakusa’s cheek. 

“Remember when we had that away game and we ate dinner with the other team and I accidentally dropped my dinner on their coach? I don’t think you could do or say anything more embarrassing than that.”

Sakusa laughed at the memory before going quiet again and Hinata gave their hands that were still interlocked a squeeze of encouragement.

“My father made a comment about our relationship and I… may have said something like, ‘I’m going to marry him, so I don’t care what you think’...”

Sakusa pulled away from Hinata and hid his face in his arms, completely embarrassed, and Hinata felt his breath catch in his throat.

“Kiyoomi,” he said seriously, but also quietly so as to not startle Sakusa. “Kiyoomi, look at me.”

Sakusa peaked through his arms and Hinata could see his cheeks burning bright red. Hinata gently held the older’s face in his hands and made him look into his eyes.

“Kiyoomi, did you really say that?”

Sakusa nodded and Hinata surged forward, kissing him passionately.

“I love you so much, Sakusa Kiyoomi,” he whispered and felt a tear fall down his cheek. 

Sakusa wiped the tear away and kissed Hinata’s nose, making him smile. “And I love you, Hinata Shoyo.”

They stayed like that for a while, taking in the emotions they felt for each other and letting them surround them. After a moment, Hinata took a deep breath and pulled away.

“What did you and my mother talk about?” Sakusa asked quietly, slotting his and Hinata’s hands together, and Hinata told him about their conversation.

“That’s… surprising,” Sakusa said after hearing the story. “I thought it was weird when she messaged me, but maybe she’s trying to turn a new leaf, or something.”

Hinata shrugged, playing with their fingers. “Maybe. That’s great if she is, right?”

Sakusa gave him a doubtful look. “Even if she is, it’s not like we’ll suddenly be going there every week for dinner. Tonight was a big enough mess that I’m good with not seeing them for at least a year.”

Hinata snorted. “No, yeah, I don’t know if I could spend another night surrounded by maids and fine china for a while.”

“I’m sorry about tonight,” Sakusa apologized. “I knew it was going to be a mess, but I didn’t anticipate it being this bad, and I feel like I kind of threw you to the wolves.”

Hinata shook his head. “It’s okay, Kiyoomi. I don’t think there was much you could’ve done to prepare me for that, anyway.”

Sakusa pouted and kissed Hinata’s lips. “But, they were mean to you.”

Hinata laughed and kissed him back. “I’m a big boy, Kiyo-chan, it’s not the first time people have been mean to me.” He nudged Sakusa’s shoulder with his head. “And besides, they were mean to you, too.”

“Yeah, but they’re my family. I’m used to that.”

Hinata frowned. “I don’t like that you’re used to that.”

“It’s okay, that’s why I don’t talk to them anymore, and I don’t plan to anytime soon after this.

Hinata’s frown deepened at that. He didn’t really like the idea of that either, but after tonight he was definitely more understanding of why Sakusa didn’t talk to his family.

“Alright, baby,” he replied, running his fingers through Sakusa’s hair again and scratching his scalp, Sakusa sighing at the touch. “Do you want to go to bed, hm? It was a long night, and the sooner we can shower and go to bed, the better.”

Sakusa nodded and they got out of the car. Outside the car, they hugged each other and then walked towards their apartment, supporting and leaning on each other as they went to the door.

They went through their seperate night routines and met each other in bed, pajama clad and bodies tired and weary. They climbed into the bed and their bodies moved instinctively to hold each other, Sakusa’s arms around Hinata’s waist while Hinata held the older’s head close to his chest and played with his hair.

“Hey, I’m proud of you for today,” he told Sakusa, and Sakusa looked up at him in question.

“It takes guts to face your family, and I’m glad you did. No longer will they be able to say mean things about my Kiyoomi, and I’ll be there right next to you every step of the way.”

Sakusa leaned up to kiss him and they both smiled into the kiss. “Thank you, baby. I love you and I’m proud of you, too.”

“Goodnight, Kiyoomi.”

“Goodnight, Shoyo.” 

And they turned their light out and went to sleep, ready to face whatever tomorrow had for them head on and together. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you’ve ever watched Gilmore Girls, that’s kind of what I based the Sakusa’s house off of lmao. They were so cheesy and domestic in this I literally blushed and got shy writing this esp the car scene ajdkskxksns (also I kind of want Hijiri to step on me lmaooo)
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!  
> -  
> [ follow me on twitter!! ](%E2%80%9Dtwitter.com/fireflysunlight%E2%80%9D)


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